Convergence
by SilverCoatl
Summary: [Full Game Spoilers] Takes place during the two-year gap between the ending of the game and the epilogue. After the events in Eldrant, Luke wakes up in the ruins, wondering what on earth happened to him. Why is he still alive? Can he really just go back home after everything that's happened? And what was everyone else doing during that time?
1. Chapter 1 - A Final Gift

Hi guys! This is my new story, a continuation of Tales of the Abyss. I think the ending is awesome, but I always wondered why it took Luke over two years to return. He's obviously aged in that time, and is wearing different clothes than when he vanished, so he can't have just appeared out of the blue two years later like some people think. Having amnesia during that time kind of works, but is still slightly unbelievable - surely someone would have found him, since so many people were actively searching, and his red hair isn't exactly commonplace. So, here's my version of what happened!

Obviously, since it takes place immediately after the ending of the game, this story has **full game spoilers**. If you haven't yet played the game, I highly recommend you at least watch the anime adaption, so you have some idea of what's going on.

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss or any of its characters. If you like this story, please support the original creators, so they can continue to inspire writers like us. Thanks!_

~o~

 **Chapter 1: A Final Gift**

As Luke watched his friends leave, one by one, he felt his death approaching.

The same sensation he'd been feeling more and more frequently over the past few weeks crawled over his skin, like the icy fingers of the grim reaper. Everything around him took on a golden hue as his skin began to glow slightly, and he could almost feel his fonons separating from his body and drifting into the atmosphere. But for some reason, this time it didn't hurt.

Maybe because the pain in his heart was so much worse.

All of his friends were walking away from him now, hurrying so as not to get crushed when this place collapsed, and Luke knew he'd never see them again. He'd promised to return to them once he freed Lorelei, but he knew deep in his heart that he wouldn't live through this. He'd used too much power in that final fight, and now the only thing holding his fonons together was his own determination to complete the job.

Feeling his own mortality drawing nearer, he began to tremble. He quickly turned away, not wanting anyone to see his face in his moment of weakness. They all knew he was going to die, he could see it in their eyes as they said their farewells, but he still didn't want them to see him like this. He wanted their last memory of him to be a happy one.

At the last moment, he heard Tear hesitate, and whisper something under her breath – he couldn't quite make out the sounds, but in a moment of clarity, he understood anyway. _I love you._ He smiled softly, and the pain in his heart increased tenfold. If only they'd had more time...

But time was the one thing they didn't have. Eldrant was falling apart, and Lorelei was still trapped – if Luke didn't free it soon, the Score would continue on its path to destruction, and all of their hard work would be for nothing.

Steeling his resolve, he closed off his heart and waited for the sound of his friends' footsteps to fade into the distance. Once they were far enough away, he lifted the Key of Lorelei high into the air, filling it with Seventh Fonons, and struck it deep into the stone. As he slowly rotated the sword, an intricate glyph appeared on the ground beneath him, spreading out into graceful symbols and patterns. With a final 'click', the fonic seal was released, and the key began to vanish.

As he stood there, wondering what would happen next, the fonons that had composed the key rearranged themselves in the air around him, becoming a translucent blue barrier. Surprised, he reached out to touch it, but stopped when he felt his feet begin to sink into the stone. The platform around him shattered, sending slabs of stone raining down into the rooms below as the barrier drew him inexorably downward.

Room after room collapsed as he passed, and he briefly wondered if his friends had escaped in time. No, they must have – even if they couldn't find a safe path to the ground, Tear had her fonic hymns, and she would protect them.

As he continued to descend, he noticed a familiar figure falling from the floor above. As if being pulled downward by the same force as Luke was, the body landed on top of the barrier, and then passed through, landing gently in his arms. He stared at the limp figure in shock.

 _Asch._ This man had the same face as his, because it _was_ his – Asch was his original, the one he'd been replicated from seven years ago, and the one who had lost everything when Luke had been switched out with him after the kidnapping. He'd lost his life in battle less than an hour earlier, holding the enemy at bay so Luke could reach Master Van in time, even though Luke represented everything that had gone wrong in his life.

Luke already knew that Asch had died - through their mysterious connection, he'd felt the swords stabbing into Asch's body when it happened, and then he had felt Asch's remaining life force joining with his shortly afterward. He'd felt his presence in the final battle, lending him strength, and knew that he could never have defeated Master Van without him.

But it was still heartbreaking to see Asch's body lying there, pale and cold, and to know he would never move again. He looked so peaceful in death, so different from how he had looked before, and Luke couldn't tear his eyes away from him – it almost felt like he was holding his own body in his arms.

When he was finally able to look away, he realized that he'd descended far below the surface, and was now deep inside the planet's core. A massive amount of Seventh Fonons swirled around outside of the barrier, forming a vaguely humanoid shape that shifted and burned with unimaginable power.

 _Lorelei._

Free at last, the aggregate sentience of the Seventh Fonon paused in front of Luke. Its golden eyes bored into his, and almost seemed to smile.

"So the world did not vanish. To think, the future I saw would be rewritten. You have done admirably."

Luke watched as Lorelei's flames circled around him, then, with a note of exultation, it soared up into the sky. Finally, it was free of its earthly confines, able to watch over the world from the Fon Belt, high above the planet.

As soon as it left, Luke felt his consciousness begin to fade, as though Lorelei had taken the last of his life force with it. Asch's body grew heavy in his arms, and a tingling sensation spread over his entire body. His time was up.

In that moment, only one thought remained in his head. _I don't want to die! I want to go back with everyone else, to see how much the world will change without the Score. I want to be with Tear, to stay by her side and maybe even grow old with her. I want to hang out with Guy, like old times, and complain about how unfair life is._

But...he'd never be able to do any of those things. He was only seven years old, but he'd been asked to shoulder the burdens of an entire planet, to save it from destruction. He didn't regret giving his life for the world, not really, but he still wished he could have stayed a little longer, if only to make sure his friends would be okay without him.

He sighed. _Well, I guess I've done all I can do, Tear. The rest...is up to you._

Closing his eyes, he let himself go. The tingling feeling vanished as an incredible wave of heat engulfed him, washing away all of his other senses. He felt his mind spreading out, dissipating along with his body as he melted back into the fonons he was created from.

Suddenly, he was outside his body, looking in. He saw Asch's still form, now lying alone in the translucent blue sphere. The multicolored trails of memory particles swirled around him, while the crumbled pieces of Eldrant sank ever deeper into the core. His mind spread out, farther and farther, and he found himself back on the surface, staring down at his friends as they climbed out of the ruins.

He watched as Jade gave Tear a hand, and she stepped onto solid ground again. Guy and Natalia walked quietly off to the side, while Anise and Mieu ran ahead. One by one, they stopped a short distance away, then turned to look back at the center of the island, watching the platform where they'd seen him last.

A bright beam of light shot out from that spot as Lorelei emerged from its prison, and Luke felt his mind being pulled into it. Fonstones glittered all around him as his spirit raced up into the heavens. When he finally stopped moving, he turned and looked back down at the planet, and was amazed.

It was so beautiful. Blue oceans, green forests, brown mountains, white clouds - all encompassed in an enormous sphere, floating right in front of him. There was no sign of the miasma anywhere, and though he could clearly see the scars where the land had been lowered, he could also see the signs that it was healing.

Seeing the world like this, he knew everything would be all right.

Suddenly he noticed a golden form hovering beside him, watching his reaction. He smiled. _Thank you, Lorelei. You let me see this before I died, right?_

He sensed its agreement, tinged with joy and laughter, and turned to look back at the planet one last time.

 _Okay, I'm ready now._

The last thing he felt was his mind being pulled back into the core, and everything slowly faded to black.

~o~


	2. Chapter 2 - Farewell

This chapter is finally done! It took me a little longer than I thought it would - writing from Tear's perspective was more difficult than I originally thought it would be. I don't have any personal experience with grief as extreme as hers, so I had to do some research to get it right.

Also, every chapter from now on will have a song associated with it. I use a lot of music to help me write, and these songs will be the ones that best fit each character's mood at the time.

The theme song for this chapter is "Hello" by Evanescence. I think it really embodies the feeling of shock Tear is going though right now. The song for chapter one was "Harmony" from Tales of Symphonia, for reasons that anyone who knows about the "Contamination Effect" sidequest will understand.

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss or any of its characters. If you like this story, please support the original creators, so they can continue to inspire writers like us. Thanks!_

~o~

 **Chapter 2: Farewell**

Tear watched the column of light as it arced into the sky, bursting through the clouds like a bolt of golden lightning. Its light outshone even the brilliant red-orange sunset, and the jagged ruins of Eldrant painted claw-like shadows across the land as Lorelei disappeared into the heavens. After what seemed like an eternity, the light began to fade, and the sky returned to normal.

As she watched the illumination give way to darkness, Tear didn't quite know how to feel. Now that Lorelei was free, their fight was finally over. The Score that had predicted the world's destruction had been averted, the war had ended, and people were finally free to choose their own destinies.

But it also meant that Luke was gone.

Tear wanted to believe that he wasn't - he'd promised to return to her after everything was over, after all - but she'd seen the way he was acting as they climbed to the top of Eldrant, after he'd used that second-order hyperresonance. He kept rubbing his arm and clenching his teeth, and though he tried to hide it, she knew he must have been in considerable pain.

Defeating Van right after that, using yet another hyperresonance, only made it worse. When he'd told them he would stay behind to free Lorelei, he'd looked almost ghostlike - his skin was slightly transparent, giving off the faint glow of the Seventh Fonon. It was hard to see in the dim evening sunlight, but he was definitely on the verge of disappearing.

She knew she wasn't the only one who saw it, either. The others had figured out Luke's secret early that morning, when Guy had pulled Tear aside, demanding to know what was wrong with him.

" _I don't know what you're talking about," she'd said._

 _Guy glared at her. "Oh, come on. You think we haven't noticed? Luke tries to act cheerful, but the moment he thinks we're not looking, he gets this sad look on his face, like nothing matters anymore. He's not eating or sleeping right, and he's not even complaining about stuff like he used to!"_

 _He shook his head. "Maybe he thinks he's hiding it, but I_ know _something's wrong. I didn't spend seven years looking after him for nothing. And I know you know what it is. So. What is he hiding?"_

 _Tear bit her lip. Of course Guy would figure it out. Luke didn't want anyone else to know that he was dying, but he couldn't keep it a secret forever. Sooner or later, his friends would find out._

 _Still, it wasn't her secret to tell. "I'm sorry. But I promised not to say anything. He doesn't want you to worry."_

" _Worry?" Natalia said, walking up behind Tear. "Worry about what?"_

" _Yeah, is something wrong with Luke?" Anise said, following her._

 _Guy rounded on them. "You've noticed it too, right? Luke's been acting weird ever since we got back from the Tower of Rem."_

 _Anise looked thoughtful. "Now that you mention it...he has been a lot quieter than normal. He didn't even laugh the other day when the colonel and I were teasing you."_

" _Yes, you are right. He has been acting differently of late." Natalia added. "But he did just have a brush with death. Perhaps he is simply happy to be alive, as he said."_

 _Guy shook his head. "No, it's more than that. He's been changing the subject every time I mention going back to the manor, and he's so focused on defeating Van he isn't even taking time to relax. It's not like him."_

 _Tear closed her eyes. Naturally, there was no way Luke could relax. Every time he tried, he just started thinking about how he was going to die again._

 _Anise crossed her arms. "So what happened to make him act like this, then? If it's not the Tower of Rem that's bothering him, what is it?"_

" _Let's see...right after we left the tower, we went back to Baticul, to report our success to Father," Natalia said, then paused. "No, wait. Didn't we stop in Belkend first...?"_

" _Luke's medical examination!" Guy slapped his forehead. "Of course. That's what it is."_

" _But...he said the doctor told him he was fine!" Anise protested._

" _He was obviously lying when he said that. I bet you anything the doctor told him he was really sick, maybe even dying." Guy sighed. "That idiot. Why does he always hide things from us?"_

" _He does have a tendency to keep things like this to himself, doesn't he?" Natalia agreed. "But are you really sure he's dying? He could simply be upset about having to fight Asch."_

" _No, he's definitely dying, or at least thinks he is," Guy insisted. "It's the only thing that fits. And I'm sure Jade knows about it too. He hasn't teased Luke about anything in a while, now that I think about it."_

" _He did say there was little to no chance of survival for the one who got rid of the miasma," Natalia said sadly._

 _Tear watched as her three companions turned in the direction of the Albiore, where Luke was still sleeping. She was secretly glad they'd figured it out - Luke needed his friends now more than ever._

 _Anise turned back to Guy, a dejected look on her face. "So...Luke's really going to die? Is he going to just...disappear...like Ion did?"_

 _Guy sighed. "Well...he_ is _a replica. Every one we've seen die so far has just faded away, leaving nothing behind, not even their clothes. So...probably."_

" _No…" Natalia whispered._

 _All three looked at Tear then, and she could see the question in their eyes. She knew she should say something, either to confirm or deny their suspicions, but she just couldn't bring herself to say a word…_

"Tear!" Guy called.

She looked up. Everyone was staring at her just like they had that morning, and she realized that while she'd been lost in thought, they had already arrived back at the Albiore.

 _How careless of me._ She shook herself. "I'm sorry. What was the question?"

Guy sighed. "We were discussing whether or not we should wait for Luke. I think we should. What about you?"

Tear blinked. Didn't they all know Luke would have disappeared by now? Maybe she'd been wrong - maybe they hadn't seen the signs after all.

No, they had to have known. There was a grim look in everyone's eyes that said so. Only Guy looked hopeful - but why? He was the one who had noticed Luke's strange behavior before anyone else, not including Jade.

 _He must be in denial_ , Tear realized.

She'd gone through a similar experience herself, after her brother had fallen into the planet's core and was presumed dead, so she could understand how he was feeling. But they couldn't wait here forever. And the longer they did wait, the harder it would be to leave.

"No. We should go," she said.

Guy leaned back, shocked. He must have thought she'd agree with him. "What? But we _have_ to wait! He said he was coming back! What will he do if we're not here? How will he get home?"

She decided not to mention the biggest flaw in that argument. "He'll be fine. He's not a weak child anymore. We've already driven out most of the monsters here, and he can handle them even if they do return.

"Right now, we have a more important duty. We need to get back to the military command ship, and report our success to Commander Goldberg and General Nordheim."

Guy looked almost ready to attack her after the "more important" comment, but Jade stepped in first. "Tear is right. As much as we would like to believe Luke is alive, it would be foolish to just wait around for him. It will likely take him several hours to make it out of the ruins anyway, assuming he is even able to move after releasing Lorelei. We can return here to see if he survived after reporting in."

Guy glanced around, to see if he had any other support, but even Noelle looked uncomfortable. Tear knew she wanted to get back to her brother Ginji's side as soon as possible - he'd been injured after crashing his airship into Eldrant, and once she'd dropped him off at the medical cruiser, she no doubt had to leave right away in order to make it back here in time.

"Fine." With a sour look on his face, Guy backed down. "But we're coming back _immediately_ once that's done. Got it?"

The others nodded their agreement, and they all climbed aboard the Albiore. As Tear took a seat behind Noelle, Guy strode to the back, refusing to look her in the eye.

A tense silence settled over the group as the ship took off. With no one to talk to, Tear found her mind wandering again.

She knew she should be feeling sad. After all, the boy she loved had just died. And it wasn't just him - Van, her older brother, who had raised her from birth, and Major Legretta, the woman who'd taught her how to fight, were both dead as well. Despite their faults, they were the closest thing she'd had to parents, and now she'd never see either of them again.

Most people would be crying right about now, but not Tear. She'd experienced so much grief over the last few months...she wasn't sure she _could_ cry anymore, even if she wanted to. Her heart was like a black hole, damaged so many times there was no way light could ever escape again. She was completely numb inside.

It felt like everyone in her life that had ever mattered was gone.

Tear knew that wasn't true, of course. All of the people here on the Albiore were her friends, and there were many more people in Yulia City and in the Oracle Knights that she'd become close to over the years. Not to mention all the people she'd met during their journey over the last year. But with the loss of the three most important people in her life, it was hard to think about anyone else. The memories just wouldn't come.

It wasn't the first time she'd felt this way. Van and Legretta had both been presumed dead a few months earlier - Legretta had been caught in an avalanche, and then Van fell into the planet's core after being defeated in battle. She'd grieved for them then, and although Tear didn't take the paid leave the Order had offered her, she knew she hadn't been very productive, either. In the weeks after their death, time had almost seemed to skip around - sometimes leaping forward like a broken fon disc, other times barely moving at all - and before she knew it, an entire month had gone by, and she didn't feel like she'd accomplished anything at all.

She could feel her mind falling into that state again now, and it scared her. She didn't want to lose any more time. She needed to be strong, for Luke's sake if nothing else. He would have wanted her to be happy - to watch the world change, and to experience all the things he never got a chance to see.

Tear bit her lip, stifling a sob. Thinking of Luke made her entirely too emotional. How was she ever going to get past this? The others often called her cold and unemotional, and it was an image she had cultivated in the past, as she strove to become the perfect soldier. But she had never been able to banish her feelings entirely, and now that she had fallen in love, she wasn't sure she ever could.

Maybe it would have been better if she had never met Luke at all.

No, she didn't want that, she realized. Luke had brought a warmth to her life she had never before experienced, that she didn't even know could exist. The way he connected with other people so easily, sharing their joys as well as their pain, amazed and impressed her. She felt _alive_ around him - more alive than ever before.

Why did someone like him have to die? It just wasn't fair…

Suddenly, Tear felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Jade standing beside her, a sympathetic expression on his face. Glancing around, she realized they were the only ones still in the cockpit - they must have arrived while she was lost in thought. _More time I can never get back..._

"You mustn't lose hope." Tear turned her gaze back to the colonel. He looked slightly uncomfortable, which made sense, as he had never been the type of person to reassure others. But at the same time, there was a look of understanding in his crimson eyes that no one else had.

"There is still a chance that Luke survived. Remember, his job was to free Lorelei, the essence of the Seventh Fonon, which is the source of all healing artes. It is possible that Lorelei could have helped him when we could not. And besides...it wouldn't be the first time he's lived despite all predictions to the contrary." Jade shook his head wryly. "He seems to enjoy proving me wrong."

Tear looked down at her lap. It was true that Luke had survived before when they thought there was no hope. And she still remembered what it felt like to mourn for her brother, only to find out a month later that he was still alive. Maybe the colonel was right…she should try to stay positive.

Taking a deep breath, she stood up, and followed the colonel out of the Albiore. As they stepped onto the deck of the command ship, Tear glanced back in the direction of Eldrant one last time. It was far too dark to see anything, of course, but in her mind's eye, she saw a red-haired figure staring back at her.

 _Please be okay, Luke._

~o~


	3. Chapter 3 - Waking Up

Now back to Luke! Luke is a little easier for me to write (although this still took a lot longer than I wanted it to) because I _have_ been that depressed before. Not quite suicidal, but definitely self-loathing; and back then, if someone had told me _I_ could save the world by dying, I really don't know what I would've done.

Thank goodness he got a second chance! And that's really what this story is all about - second chances, and how people change (or don't change!) when they get them.

The theme song for this chapter is "Away From the Sun" by Three Doors Down. It's an amazing song with so many different interpretations, and I think it fits the mood perfectly. Hope you like it!

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss or any of its characters. If you like this story, please support the original creators, so they can continue to inspire writers like us. Thanks!_

~o~

 **Chapter 3: Waking Up**

The first thing Luke noticed was how bright it was.

He tried to open his eyes, but shut them again immediately as the sunlight poured in, assaulting every fiber of his being. Even after closing his eyes, a painful afterimage remained.

He shifted his arms a little, trying to sit up, but they felt strangely stiff and sore. His head hurt like hell, and his mouth felt like he'd swallowed a bottle of glue.

 _What happened to me? Where am I?_

He tried to think back. His mind felt hazy, but slowly the memories took shape. He remembered striking his sword into the earth, and hearing a strange sound, almost like someone humming, as the sword vanished. Then a blue light had surrounded him, protecting him, and he felt the uncomfortable sensation of falling as he sank into the earth. He remembered catching something heavy, and then a golden fire swirled around the blue barrier and shot up into the sky, followed by a strange feeling of weightlessness as his fonons drifted away into the atmosphere…

 _Wait a second!_ Luke gasped, sitting up straight. _Didn't I just...die?_

His stomach lurched with the sudden motion, and he had to take a few deep breaths to keep himself from getting sick. Once he had that under control, he slowly opened his eyes again, and blinked a few times, trying to get them to adjust. Everything seemed to be far too white - even the reflected sunlight was blinding.

Covering his eyes with one hand and peering through the gaps, he looked around at his immediate surroundings. He still couldn't see anything in detail, and his eyes were beginning to water from the strain, but it looked like he was sitting on a pile of crumbled stone, with broken walls and pillars all around him. Then he noticed a dark shape on the ground next to him. It looked like a sword, so he grabbed the hilt with his free hand and picked it up.

Its weight was familiar, and although it was too bright to see it clearly, he could _feel_ its power - it was the Key of Lorelei.

Seeing the key, something finally clicked, and all of his memories came back into focus. _These must be the ruins of Eldrant,_ Luke realized.

How did he get here? He knew he'd felt his body disintegrating when he was in the planet's core, there was no doubt in his mind about that. Was he some kind of ghost? Could he be a wandering spirit made of leftover fonons, like the Sword Dancer?

No, that couldn't be right. His head still felt like a golem had stomped on it, and his stomach was only now starting to calm down. If he was a ghost, he shouldn't be in this much pain. He must still be alive...somehow.

Luke tried to stand up, to see if he could walk, but as soon as he did the room tilted and began to spin wildly. His stomach lurched again, and he fell back down, unable to keep his balance.

Deciding it would be better to rest for a moment, he crawled over to a patch of shade, leaning against the stone. It felt pleasantly cool on his back, but it couldn't do anything about the throbbing in his skull. If only Tear were here, she could heal him...

 _Tear!_ he realized, sitting up again. _I have to get out of here. I promised her I'd come back!_

With sudden determination, Luke forced himself to his feet. Using the Key of Lorelei as a crutch, he slowly but surely made his way toward a gap in the wall, ignoring his dizziness and pain. Tear was waiting for him; that was all that mattered.

As he stepped under crumbled pillars and squeezed between fallen walls, avoiding broken glass and the corpses of monsters they'd fought on their way into this place, Luke thought back to the last time he'd seen Tear.

" _Come home!" she'd said, her voice strained, eyes welling up with emotion. "You have to come home! You have to! I'll be waiting...always."_

 _Luke had stared deep into her eyes for a moment, trying to decide what to say. He knew he wasn't coming back. What could he possibly say to her? She was his whole world now. How do you say goodbye to someone like that?_

 _But an instant later, he realized the truth - she didn't_ want _him to say goodbye. Just like the previous night on the ship, she wanted him to deny his inevitable death. To fight it with everything he had._

 _He didn't think it would make any difference, but if it made her feel better… "I will," he'd said firmly. "I promise…I'll come home."_

Luke smiled at the memory. Who would have thought he'd be able to keep his promise after all?

He continued to move through the ruins, searching for familiar landmarks, but it wasn't until he reached an area with some actual color that he recognized where he was. Here, born from the fomicry machine that had created this island, grass had begun to appear on the ground at his feet, and vines climbed up the sides of the nearby walls. The buildings here were also fully furnished, although everything was scattered after the collapse.

 _This is the nobles' district, where Guy's home was,_ Luke remembered.

He looked around at the opulent mansions as he walked, but none of them looked like the one he'd seen when they'd passed through this area before. Not that it really mattered anyway. Guy certainly wouldn't be coming back here, looking for a place to live. This place may have _looked_ like his homeland, but it was still only a replica - even if it hadn't been destroyed in the aftermath of their battle, it could never truly replace what he'd lost.

As he rounded a corner, Luke suddenly found himself at a dead end. One of the suspended walkways that had connected a few of the taller mansions had fallen, blocking the road. Seeing this, he groaned. He didn't really want to find another way around, since this path had been a long, winding one, but he doubted he had the strength to try climbing over the top. Maybe he could go through one of the mansions the bridge had landed on?

Glancing around, he spotted an open window and pulled himself through the stone frame. He carefully stepped onto the plush carpet, examining the room to make sure it wouldn't collapse any further. Surprisingly enough, it was mostly intact; the walls were cracked and slightly slanted, and there were chunks of rock and broken furniture everywhere, but the ceiling seemed sturdy enough.

Luke slowly made his way through the room, avoiding the rubble and ducking under a tall wooden cabinet that had fallen across the doorway. It was much darker in the hallways, so he paused for a moment to wait for his eyes to adjust. Fortunately, there wasn't as much debris here, and there was just enough light coming in through the cracks in the walls to light up his path. As he continued deeper into the building, he made sure to pay close attention to which direction he was moving - having grown up in a mansion much like this one, he knew just how easy it would be to get lost.

Finally, he reached an area that looked promising - a wide-open foyer, with pillars carved into the walls, a chandelier that was miraculously still attached to the ceiling, and graceful staircases spiraling upwards to a second level. This room was much better lit, thanks to a couple of large windows on the far wall - and there, just below them, were the front doors!

Excited, Luke rushed into the room. He was pretty sure the doors would still work - this room was the least-damaged one he'd seen so far, and the amount of light coming in suggested he was beyond the area crushed by the broken bridge. He smiled, happy that his idea had worked. But just as he passed the stairs, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

Luke immediately froze, searching for the source. The silence that filled this place abruptly became ominous, and his eyes scanned the room, checking for enemies. He hadn't seen anyone so far, but this was still Master Van's stronghold. Could some of the replica Oracle Knights have survived?

His eyes widened when he noticed a dark figure standing on the other side of the room, staring directly back at him through an open door. From this distance, he couldn't tell who it was, but he wasn't about to take any chances. He lifted his sword, ready to fight, and the other person did the same. As he carefully edged closer, he studied his opponent. It looked like a man, about the same age as he was, but wearing darker clothes. He had a similar build as Luke did, and even the same color of hair...

With a shocked gasp, Luke lowered his sword. "Asch?"

Asch lowered his sword as well, apparently just as surprised, and the two began walking toward each other silently.

Luke couldn't believe it. Asch was alive! When he'd held his lifeless body in his arms, he'd thought that was it. _Then again, I survived somehow. Maybe whoever saved me brought Asch back to life as well._ Luke thought about that for a moment. _Could Lorelei have done it?_

As he got closer to his original, Luke studied Asch's face. It was covered with dried blood, and he looked just as exhausted as Luke felt. His hair had lost its usual shine, and was hanging in front of his face, making him look even more like Luke used to look, before he cut his hair.

They stopped a few feet apart, staring at each other. After a moment, Luke started to get worried. Why wasn't Asch saying anything? He had a strange look on his face, almost like he was confused. Luke didn't think he'd ever seen that expression on Asch's face before. It seemed like Asch was always frowning… _Not that I can blame him,_ Luke thought. _After everything I stole from him...he has a right to be angry._

But Asch didn't look angry now. The confusion was still there, but now there was a look of deep sadness in his eyes, a look which echoed the pain in Luke's own heart.

Finally understanding, Luke reached out and touched the glass between them.

It wasn't a doorway. It was a mirror.

His heart in turmoil, Luke examined his reflection. Asch's body looked much like it had when he'd held it in his arms, with scuff marks and bruises on his face. There were dozens of tears in his clothing from his battle, and a few larger holes where the swords that had killed him had pierced his torso. Luke ran his fingers over the skin there - his mortal wounds had apparently been fully healed, with only a slight redness left behind to prove they had ever existed.

 _How did this happen?_ Luke wondered. Obviously, his own body had disappeared like he'd originally believed; in fact, now that he thought about it, he remembered seeing Asch's body lying alone in the Key of Lorelei's protective bubble after he died. He'd thought it was all over as his fonons drifted away, following Lorelei into the heavens...but somehow, instead of going with them, his mind had ended up back here.

This wasn't the first time he'd experienced something like this. Right after Luke found out he was a replica, Asch had connected with him through their fon slots, and pulled Luke's consciousness into his own. He still remembered how strange it had felt, being stuck in someone else's body, unable to control his movements or even speak. But this time things were different - this time he was the one in control.

A sudden thought occurred to him. _Asch?_ Luke silently called out, trying to connect with him the way they had before. _Asch! Are you there?_

Luke waited for an answer, hoping against hope that his original was still in the back of his head somewhere. When nothing but silence greeted him, he tried again, out loud this time. "Asch! Are you there? Answer me!"

His only answer was a faint echo in the entrance hall where he stood.

Luke sighed. He should have known he wouldn't reply. Asch had died long before Luke took over his body. He could still feel his presence in his mind, the same one he'd felt during the battles with Sync and Master Van, but it was more of a lingering memory than any sort of life. He had to accept it - Asch really was dead.

He knew it wasn't his fault, but he still felt like a despicable thief. Everything he owned had initially belonged to his original...his name, his family, even his face...and now he'd stolen the only thing Asch had left to give.

Swallowing the overwhelming feelings of guilt that thought produced, Luke turned and headed out the front door of the mansion, which opened without any trouble. From this side of the building, he could see the mountains near Tataroo Valley, just south of where Eldrant had crashed. Well, at least he knew he was heading in the right direction.

As he resumed his slow progress off the island, Luke wondered again whether Lorelei had been the one to bring him back. _Someone_ had to have healed Asch's wounds, or else he wouldn't be standing here now. And Lorelei was the essence of the Seventh Fonon, the fonon of healing. He didn't think it could have been anyone else...

Still, he'd never heard of anyone being brought back to life like this. If Seventh Fonons were capable of bringing someone back from the dead, people would have been going crazy trying to figure out how to use them. After all, look what had happened with fomicry - and that wasn't even true resurrection, it could only create someone who _looked_ like the dead person.

Luke sighed. He'd have to ask Jade about it later. If anyone could figure out what had happened to him, it was Jade. The man was an absolute genius - no matter how irritating his perceptiveness could be, at times like this it was very useful.

Reaching the end of the nobles' district, Luke headed through an arched doorway and out onto the half-finished scaffolding that had surrounded the island while it was still in the air. Now that everything had collapsed, it looked like he would actually have an easier time getting across than when they first came through here - instead of winding his way from room to room, walking back and forth across the long beams each time, he could just jump down to the walkway that led directly to the exit.

His heart perked up a little as he realized he was getting closer to reuniting with his friends. He didn't know for sure where they were, but they probably hadn't gotten too far away yet - he didn't think he'd been unconscious for much more than a day, and even though they had the Albiore and could fly halfway across the world in that time, they still had to report to the military before heading home. And even if they _had_ already left, surely someone at the military encampment would know where they went.

Smiling, he wondered what his friends would say when they saw him. Tear would be happy, of course, though she would try very hard not to show it. Guy, on the other hand, would probably let out a shout of joy, and clap him on the back. Anise would give him one of her trademark bear hugs, while Jade stayed in the back with that smug smile of his. And Natalia…

 _Oh._

The realization hit Luke like a ton of bricks. He stopped short, his mind freezing his legs in place as he thought about that encounter.

What would he say to Natalia? Here he was, walking around in her fiancé's body, less than a day after telling her Asch was dead. It was bad enough that he'd had to tell her about his death when it happened, but for Luke to stroll back in, wearing Asch's body like a new coat?

Suddenly he didn't want any of his friends to see him like this. After all, they wouldn't see him, they'd see Asch. Even after he told them who he really was, there would still be a certain tension in the air, an uncomfortable silence, much like the one he got whenever someone found out he was a replica.

 _I can't go back yet,_ he decided. _Not until I figure out what happened._

Unfortunately, now that Jade was out of the question, he wasn't sure who he could turn to. There weren't many people who understood how fomicry worked in the first place, and most of them had died in the war with Van. Was there anyone left who might be able to help?

After a moment, Luke snapped his fingers. _Spinoza!_ He was the one who had helped Master Van create him in the first place, and who later figured out how to get rid of the miasma. If anyone other than Jade could help him understand why he ended up in Asch's body, Spinoza could.

His mind made up, he started walking again. Belkend was quite a long distance away from here, but he'd done so much traveling over the last few months, he didn't think he'd have any problems. He still had a sword, and Tear had taught him how to find food and water in the wilderness. It would be tough being on his own, but he was confident he could handle it.

As he climbed down the last few steps heading out of Eldrant, he saw the Albiore, parked just beyond the rubble. Quickly hiding himself behind a broken column of stone, he peered over at the aircraft. All five of his friends - no, six, Mieu was there too - were seated on the ground next to it, gathered around a cooking fire. A few of them occasionally glanced in his direction - luckily, they didn't seem to have noticed him yet, but it was obvious they were waiting for someone.

 _They came back for me!_ he realized.

In that moment, his resolve to stay away almost broke. He was too far away from them to see their faces clearly, but they seemed pretty downcast. Even Mieu was sitting still, which was unusual.

Luke bit his lip, looking at Tear. He wanted so badly to be with her, even if he was in a different body. And now that he knew she loved him as well, there was a lightness in his heart that he couldn't explain. It was like he could see their whole future laid out before him, and the thought of leaving her behind, even for a short time, filled him with anguish.

But then his eyes strayed to Natalia, and his determination returned. He didn't want to hurt her anymore - he couldn't. It had been hard enough for her to travel with him, having to be around a boy with the same face as her beloved, but not the same feelings. The thought of seeing her eyes light up as she watched her fiancé come back from the dead, only to fade when she realized it wasn't him - it was unbearable.

Taking a deep breath, Luke began to move in the other direction, searching for a route that would keep him hidden. There weren't enough trees in this area for him to use as cover, so he continued through the wreckage of Eldrant until he reached the cliff, and began to follow the shore. Once he was out of sight of the Albiore, he would head for the forest that led to Chesedonia, but for now he had to get as far away from here as possible.

As he walked along the cliff edge, watching the waves undulate against the rocks, Luke once again thought about his promise to Tear in Eldrant. _I'll come home,_ he'd said. He hadn't really meant it, then, since he'd been so sure he was going to die. But now he was alive, and there was hope for a future. With that in mind, he decided to make a new promise, this time for real.

 _I will return,_ he vowed. _As soon as I get this all figured out, I'll come home. So...please wait for me, just a little longer._

~o~


	4. Chapter 4 - Aftereffects

Hi guys! Sorry this chapter took so long - summer is always a busy time of year for me, and this year was worse than most: between preparing for garage sales, helping out with my brother's high school graduation and getting him ready for college, tight deadlines at work, and getting all my paperwork sorted out so I can go back to college myself after an eight-year break, I've barely had any time to write.

(Okay, I'll admit it, that's only half of the reason - Pokémon GO may have had something to do with it as well. ^_^;)

Of course, it did also take me quite a while to research military ranks, etiquette, and daily life. I have zero experience in this area (unless you count high school marching band), so I hope I didn't mix anything up. If I did, please let me know so I can fix it!

This chapter features Jade, and the theme song is "Stillness", from Tales of Symphonia 2. I was hoping to have a song with words for this chapter, and when I originally posted this I did list one, but I decided it doesn't really fit. Jade is really hard to find music for, at least among the kind of songs I like to listen to. If any of you have any ideas for Jade-themed songs, please let me know in a review! I always like discovering new music.

Happy reading!

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss or any of its characters. If you like this story, please support the original creators, so they can continue to inspire writers like us. Thanks!_

~o~

 **Chapter 4: Aftereffects**

"So, still no sign of Luke?" Emperor Peony asked, leaning back in his throne. The roar of the waterfalls visible through the elegant arched windows filled the room, creating a subdued atmosphere. Standing in front of the young emperor with his hands in his pockets, Jade shook his head solemnly.

"No, Your Majesty," he replied. "We waited outside Eldrant for over two weeks, but he never returned. In the end, we were forced to leave, as we were running low on food and medical supplies."

Peony nodded solemnly, a flicker of regret visible in his expression, then turned to General Nordheim. "You had your men search the area as well, right?"

Standing at attention to Jade's left, General Nordheim gave Jade a brief frown of disapproval at his casual stance, but said nothing. He bowed respectfully as he addressed the emperor.

"Yes, sire. We combed the wreckage for survivors, but found none. We did recover the bodies of several dozen Oracle Knights, including the God-General Legretta the Quick, but there was no sign of Luke fon Fabre, Dorian General Grants, Sync the Tempest, or Asch the Bloody."

Jade narrowed his eyes. He and the others had assisted in the general's search efforts, but since he had been on perimeter duty most of the time and the search team had returned to Grand Chokmah on a separate vessel, he hadn't had a chance to hear the results before reporting to the emperor.

He already knew General Grants' and Sync's bodies were missing - Sync was a replica, so his fonons had lost their cohesion and separated once he had taken too much damage, and Jade had watched Van Grants' body vaporize after their battle, as a result of his contact with the Planet Storm prior to absorbing Lorelei. Luke was also a replica, so if he _had_ died, he wouldn't have left anything behind either. But Asch was an original, so they should have found his body at the very least.

Unless…

"I know that look. Jade, what's going on in that head of yours this time?"

Jade looked up to find Peony staring at him intently. He adjusted his glasses, uncomfortable with the attention. "I'd rather not say anything until I'm certain. It would not do to get our hopes up over something that is still mere conjecture."

Peony grinned. "I see you're the same as always. Well, be sure to fill me in once you _do_ know more. Otherwise, I may need you to take over Gailardia's duties for a while. Someone needs to walk my beloved rappigs, after all."

Jade suppressed a shudder. "Of course, Your Majesty."

"Speaking of Guy, where is he? You haven't explained why he didn't come back with you."

"He decided to remain outside the ruins of Eldrant for a while longer," Jade replied. "We left all of our remaining supplies with him - enough to last him for two more weeks if he uses them sparingly. Noelle said she would return for him then."

Peony sighed. "I see. Well, I can't say I'm surprised. I guess I'll just have to make do without him for a while longer."

The emperor turned to Chief of Staff Sesemann, who was standing in his usual position beside the throne. "What about the food situation? Does Engeve have anything ready to harvest yet?"

Sesemann looked grim. "No, Your Majesty. They have about half of their fields replanted, now that the miasma is gone, but with winter fast approaching, it will still be several months before they have anything ready for export. Assuming our current consumption rates remain the same, we have enough in our stores to last another month or two, but no more than that. We might be able to stretch it out a bit if we start limiting rations, but as you know, we've already had several riots break out between the replicas and originals...restricting food will only make things worse."

Peony frowned. "Yeah, we can't do that. Unrest is bad enough as it is." He thought for a moment. "How about sending some of the replicas to Engeve to help? Would more manpower do any good?"

"Hmm...that might work. It would certainly reduce the food burden here, and teaching the replicas to farm would give them something to do." Sesemann paused. "However...are you sure the people of Engeve will accept them? And will they even be willing to go? Most of the replicas that remained in the city have become rather...stubborn. They're acting like children - which I suppose they technically are, but getting them to listen to anything we have to say has been quite difficult."

"And it's not like we can just give them a time-out or threaten them with no supper, huh?" Peony groaned. "I'm not even married yet. I shouldn't have to figure out how to deal with kids!"

Jade smirked. "Well, now would be the perfect time to learn. Although I'm surprised you don't have a few already, considering Your Majesty's fondness for women."

Peony glared at Jade. "Don't even start."

Jade continued to grin, unrepentant. Peony was rarely this easy to rile up - he must have a lot on his mind right now. Jade knew the young emperor would find a way to get back at him later, but the look on his face right now…it was worth every second.

Sesemann cleared his throat. "If you two are quite finished...could we get back to the matter at hand?"

Peony rolled his eyes at Jade's wickedly amused expression, then turned back to the elderly general. "Right. Well, just give it your best shot. If they're willing to go, great. If not...at least we're no worse off than we already were."

"Yes, Your Majesty. And what preparations should we make in case we _do_ run out of food?" The room was silent for a moment.

"Well, we could always eat tree bark," Jade suggested with a shrug.

Everyone stared at him. "Tell me you're joking," Emperor Peony said, a disgusted look on his face.

"Oh, I'm quite serious. The bark of certain trees in Theor Forest is actually highly nutritious. Several ancient cultures ate it during times of famine. They would grind it up into a powder and mix it with flour to make their bread. Of course, it was quite hard and bitter, hardly suitable for royalty such as yourself."

Peony stared at Jade for a few more seconds, his glare promising him a particularly nasty prank later, then looked back at Sesemann. "Send some men out into the forest to see what they can find. Anything _except_ tree bark."

"Yes, sire."

Turning to General Nordheim, Peony said, "Have your men continue searching for Luke, but expand the search area to cover all of the Ispanian Peninsula. If he's out there somewhere, I want you to find him."

The emperor stood up and dismissed the two generals with a nod. Bowing deeply, General Nordheim and Chief of Staff Sesemann quickly left the throne room.

"As for you," Peony said, walking over to Jade and lowering his voice, "I need you to resume your replica research."

Jade nodded, his expression becoming serious. He'd expected as much.

"Those riots Sesemann mentioned...they're getting worse every day. People are dying, Jade." Peony shook his head. "I know I promised to find a place for the replicas, but I have to look out for my own subjects too."

Sighing, the young emperor turned and stared at the waterfall behind his throne. His face took on a thoughtful, slightly depressed cast, as it always did whenever he looked at the flowing water. "I can give them a place to live and food to eat, at least for now, but I can't provide for them forever. The people won't stand for it." He turned back to Jade. "It would be easier if Luke were here. The replicas would listen to him, since he's one of them. And most of the originals respect him, for his efforts in saving the world. But until we find him, we'll just have to do what we can."

Peony walked over to Jade, putting his hand on his shoulder. "That's why I need you. You're the one who created this technology. If anyone can help them find their place in the world, you can. I have faith in you."

The sarcastic response Jade had been preparing died on the tip of his tongue. Peony had _faith_ in him? Yes, he was the one who had invented fomicry - and look what happened because of it! The whole world had fallen into the Qliphoth, and thousands of people had died: yes, some were killed by the miasma, but just as many were killed by the replicas his technology had allowed to be born. And those replicas were suffering as well, trying to find their place in a world that would never accept them.

Van may have been the one to pursue his mad scheme to drop the Outer Lands and replace everyone with replicas, but none of it would have been possible without Jade's ill-conceived technology. And while it was certainly the most devastating example, fomicry wasn't the only idea of his that had caused trouble. His fonic sight, the hyperresonance experiments on Hod, and even his plan to destroy the miasma...every single one had either killed someone or left them permanently damaged.

It was almost as though he was cursed - everything he touched was fated to die. How could anyone have _faith_ in someone like him? It didn't make any sense.

Pushing those thoughts away with a sardonic smile, Jade casually shrugged. "I suppose I'd better get started then, hadn't I?"

"That's the spirit," Peony said, clapping him on the shoulder. Jade gave his friend a small smile and a semi-formal salute, and then made his way down the stairs and out of the palace. Walking around the outskirts of the courtyard and dodging the many tourists and nobles that were milling around, he headed down the familiar path towards Malkuth military headquarters.

As Jade passed beneath the towering aqueduct separating the palace from the military docks, the sound of rushing water intensified, drowning out the noise of the crowd. The only other people on this path were military personnel, and they were all busy with their tasks, so Jade found his thoughts drifting back to what General Nordheim had reported.

" _No sign of Asch the Bloody…"_

As an original, Asch's body should have remained intact even after death. But Nordheim's men didn't find it, even after weeks of searching. And General Nordheim was known for being extremely thorough, so it was unlikely they'd simply overlooked it. Eldrant was large, but not that large.

There were at least three possible explanations for its absence that Jade could think of. The simplest one, of course, was that they just hadn't found it yet. Asch's body could easily have fallen into the wreckage of Eldrant as it collapsed, buried too deeply for the search teams to find, or it may have been dragged away and devoured by monsters.

But somehow, Jade didn't think that was the case. One of the most important things he'd learned during his scientific career was that what most people called "gut instinct" was actually the result of subtle clues that his subconscious mind had picked up on - and right now, his instincts were telling him there was more to Asch's disappearance than that.

The second possibility that occurred to him was that Asch wasn't really dead. Before the final battle with Van, Luke had told them he died "surrounded by enemies, with swords thrust through his body". It seemed unlikely that Asch could have survived such injuries, and the power Luke had demonstrated immediately afterward certainly seemed to support that conclusion. But without a body to prove it, there was still some room for doubt. The "second-order hyperresonance" Luke had used could have been a fluke, or perhaps it was somehow created by the connection between Asch and Luke in a moment of danger. The two were perfect isofons, after all.

Which led him to the third and most likely possibility: the "Big Bang" effect. Perfect isofons were unnatural, only able to be created in a lab, under very specific conditions. Unfortunately, they were also highly unstable. Because they shared the exact same fonon frequency, they were highly susceptible to the contamination effect - the combination of two separate physical objects into a single form. With perfect isofons, this effect seemed to happen automatically after a set time period, and even distance couldn't prevent it. Eventually, any two objects with the same fonon frequency would form a synchronized link with one another, creating a fonon emission effect in which one object would begin to separate at the atomic level, and gradually transfer its fonons into the other. As this happened, the transmitting object would appear to grow weaker and less substantial, while the receiving object gained extra fonons and increased in strength, until the weaker one finally underwent complete fonon separation and merged with the stronger one.

The perfect isofon experiments had never been attempted on living creatures, or at least not that Jade had been aware of prior to meeting Luke, so it was possible that the process worked differently for them. Certainly, it had taken a lot longer for the fonon transference to begin than he would have expected. But considering the symptoms Asch had been trying so hard to hide, and the side effects he had been carefully watching for in Luke, Jade doubted it. He wasn't entirely sure how Luke's deteriorating condition or Asch's untimely death would have affected the process, but if their Big Bang _had_ begun…

Jade's musing was suddenly interrupted, as one of the soldiers walking along the path stopped directly in front of him and saluted.

"Welcome back, Colonel Jade, sir!" the young soldier cried out, looking slightly nervous.

"At ease, Private," Jade replied. The basic uniform she was wearing, combined with the complete lack of any insignia on her outfit, told him she must be a new recruit, fresh from the academy. Jade grinned - newbies like her were the most fun to tease.

"Th-thank you, sir," she said, relaxing her stance ever so slightly. "Um, sir, I was asked to give you a message as soon as you returned from the palace. Two men from Sheridan arrived earlier today, with a Kimlascan escort accompanying them. They asked to speak with you."

Jade lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? What do they want?"

"They wouldn't say. But they requested you specifically. General Nordheim approved their request, so they're waiting for you in the main briefing room."

"Very well. I'll be there shortly - but first I have to feed my pet liger."

The young woman stopped short. "P-pet _liger_?!"

"Yes, it's the only way I can keep the emperor's rappigs out of my office. Would you like to see him? Oh, but if you do, mind your fingers. It's been over a month since he's eaten anything, and human fingers are his favorite food. I can't count the number of guards who've lost a digit or two and had to be medically discharged."

She looked faint. "I think I'll pass, sir."

Jade shrugged. "Your loss," he said, leaving her behind as he continued down the path.

~o~


	5. Chapter 5 - Alone

Hey there! Sorry, I know it's been a really long time since I updated. I never meant to put it off for this long, but real life has really gotten in the way. Classes have been taking way more time than I thought they would, and then I injured my back over Christmas break, so I've been dealing with that too. I finally recovered and found a little time to write this summer, and I almost had it done a month ago, only to get stuck on the last scene. But this chapter is quite a bit longer than the others, so I hope you'll forgive me!

Part of the reason it took me so long to finish this chapter is that it's at such a crucial point in the story. This is where the real story begins for Luke, so I ended up doing a lot of research to get it right. The battle at the end was the hardest part. I've never written a fight scene before, so I ended up rewriting it quite a few times before I was happy with it. The ending will be a bit of a cliffhanger, but I'll try not to leave you hanging for nearly as long this time!

If any of you have been rereading previous chapters, you may have noticed that I've been making small edits here and there. Nothing major so far, I've just reworded a few things, and added a few details to make the story flow better. I also updated the theme song for chapter 4, since the one I originally used didn't fit as well as I thought it would. This is something I will continue to do as I write. If I make any major changes, I'll let you know - and if something confuses you, or if you find a major plot hole, please let me know in a review! I'll try to go back and fix it as best I can.

The theme song for this chapter is "Leave Out All The Rest" by Linkin Park. As you'll see, the first scene was directly inspired by it, but I think the rest of the song fits fairly well with some of Luke's thoughts too. Enjoy!

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss or any of its characters. If you like this story, please support the original creators, so they can continue to inspire writers like us. Thanks!_

~o~

 **Chapter 5: Alone**

Luke raced down the manor steps, gasping for breath. Already, he could hear the church bells ringing in the distance, announcing the beginning of the ceremony.

 _Of all days, why did I have to sleep in_ today _?!_ Luke moaned.

He sprinted down the path and up the palace stairs, taking them three at a time. As he climbed, he began to veer left, heading directly for the chapel. Luckily he knew the palace like the back of his hand, so he didn't have to waste any time searching for the correct route.

The guards at the entrance recognized him immediately, and allowed him in without a word. One guard gave him a knowing wink as he passed, and Luke grinned back, feeling a little sheepish. Well, at least _someone_ thought his situation was amusing.

He picked up his pace, weaving his way through the luxurious corridors, heading for the royal sanctuary. Here inside the castle, the frantic chiming of the bells was tempered by the powerful, unhurried pace of the organ. That was a good sign - they must still be waiting for him.

As he turned down the final hallway, he slowed his pace to a walk, carefully straightening out his jacket and making sure his hair wasn't too messy. He checked his pocket one last time, reassuring himself that the ring was still there. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the room.

The pews were completely packed, filled with thousands of people from every corner of the world. Most of them appeared to be Kimlascan nobles, but it looked like several foreign dignitaries had been invited as well. Legretta, Sync, and Largo were all there, looking slightly uncomfortable. Emperor Peony was sitting near the front of the room, as inappropriately dressed as ever, while Jade sat next to him in a navy blue tuxedo.

As Luke's gaze reached the far end of the chapel, he finally saw her - Princess Natalia. She was even more beautiful than he'd imagined. Her hair was coiled gracefully atop her head, and her white gown was exquisite, with genuine diamonds sewn into the fabric. This was the dress she'd wanted to wear for so long, and he was so happy to be the one who finally gave her the chance to wear it.

Luke lost sight of the crowd as he began walking down the center aisle, toward his beloved. Her gentle yet proud smile filled his vision, and her emerald eyes were sparkling with tears of joy. She had been waiting for him for so long, and now here they were, getting married.

After he'd walked several yards, however, he began to notice something strange. The music hadn't changed; the organ was still playing the same, sedate intro music. No one had so much as glanced in his direction when he entered the room, either - in fact, now that he was paying attention, he realized they were all murmuring amongst themselves.

He looked back at Natalia, and suddenly noticed that behind her apparently calm demeanor, there was a hint of panic. She was speaking to one of the maids, looking worried. Then she cast her eyes out over the crowd, as if she was searching for someone.

 _She's looking for me!_ Luke realized. He quickly jogged up to the altar, trying to get Natalia's attention. But she didn't seem to see him either. The princess glanced at one of her maids again, and whispered, "Where is Luke? He should have been here by now."

 _I'm right here!_ Luke tried to say. But for some reason, his voice wouldn't work. He tried to grab on to Natalia's arm, to get her to notice him, but his hand suddenly turned transparent, passing right through her.

In horror, Luke looked down at himself. His body was glowing again, getting more see-through by the second. Frantic now, Luke looked back up at Natalia, begging her to notice him before he disappeared.

Suddenly, the crowd around him let out a cheer. Natalia turned and looked at something behind him, relief and joy in her eyes. Luke followed her gaze, and froze in shock. Someone who looked just like him was standing at the chapel entrance - _the replica!_

Anger and jealousy shot through him as he watched. With Guy at his side, the _dreck_ walked forward, and the organ began playing the traditional wedding theme. The replica stared lovingly into Natalia's eyes as he stepped up to the altar. Master Van was waiting there with a Wedding Fonstone, and Luke clenched his fists tightly as he watched them prepare to make their vows.

When Luke saw the replica pull his own ring out of his pocket, he couldn't take it anymore. Pulling his sword out of his sheath, he raced toward the replica, preparing for a killing blow. But just as he lifted his sword over his head, he saw a flash of steel to his right, and twisted to dodge instead.

Turning to face his attacker, he realized it was an Oracle Knight. And it wasn't just one, either - Luke was completely surrounded. _When did they get here?_ He wondered, as he took a defensive stance.

One of the knights suddenly rushed forward with an overhand strike, trying to slice him from head to foot. Luke stopped his sword with his own, then forced him to the side and pivoted to catch an attack from behind. The next few minutes were a blur as he took the knights down one by one, dodging their attacks and skillfully getting his blade past their guard with a series of well-placed kicks and strike artes. Finally, he had them all knocked down but one.

Luke yelled, "You're the last!" as he charged forward, ducking under his outstretched blade and stabbing him through the heart. As the knight staggered backward and collapsed, Luke let his sword droop, exhausted.

He looked tiredly at the dead and dying knights in front of him, wondering if his replica had managed to defeat Van yet. Reaching for the connection and pushing his awareness out through his fon slots, he said, "Can you hear me, replica?"

He felt his counterpart respond, wincing with pain as his fon slots were forcefully wrenched open. Luke had no idea why the replica had so much trouble understanding how to use their connection - if he would just open his mind up a little more instead of always trying to block him out, it wouldn't hurt at all. But Luke had absolutely no desire to explain anything to that reject. He had so much difficulty understanding even the simplest concepts, like fonic artes; it would take forever to teach him anything.

Shrugging that thought away, Luke opened his mouth to speak - but suddenly something hit him from behind, _hard_. He looked down, and was stunned to see the point of a sword sticking out of his gut.

Luke stood there for a moment, confused. _What...?_ Then two more Oracle Knights appeared in front of him, and they stabbed their swords into his torso as well. His initial shock faded, replaced by a surge of adrenaline, and he quickly dispatched his attackers. He slashed two of them across the chest, his extra strength knocking their shields aside with ease, and then impaled the last one through the gap in his helmet.

With his enemies all gone, the adrenaline rush began to fade, and he staggered backwards. Looking down again, he tried to get a better view of the wound, but his vision began to blur and he coughed up blood.

 _If I could just get these swords out, maybe I could try a healing arte_ , he thought. He wasn't very good at those, despite being a talented Seventh Fonist - but even if all he could do was staunch the bleeding, he might be able to survive for a little while.

He gripped one of the swords sticking out of his stomach, and gritted his teeth as he yanked it out. A sudden rush of dizziness caused him to lose his grip, though, and he collapsed against the wall. He tried to focus, to summon some Seventh Fonons to help stitch his wounds together, but he couldn't do it. He watched as the blood from his now open wound poured out onto the floor, and realized the truth - _I'm going to die._

With his last bit of energy, he returned his attention to the connection in his head, where his replica was still watching, speechless. "It looks like I...had a little trouble," he admitted. "The rest is...up to you..."

~o~

Luke sat upright with a choked gasp. His hand immediately reached for his stomach, desperately grabbing at the edges of the wound and trying to stop the bleeding. But the skin beneath his fingers was smooth and undamaged, and as he sat there blinking in confusion, his groggy brain slowly put the pieces together.

Luke sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. _Again_ , he thought. He'd had this same dream almost every night since waking up in Asch's body. Not the wedding part - that was new. But he'd relived Asch's death many times now, and each time he woke up in a cold sweat.

This was starting to become a real problem. He was barely able to get any sleep as it was, making his way through these monster-infested woods all by himself. It was hard to find a place where the monsters wouldn't try to attack him - and whenever he _did_ manage to get some rest, these nightmares would wake him up after only an hour or two. It was almost as bad as when he'd been having nightmares about Akzeriuth - and at least then, he'd had a safe place to sleep, and his friends to help take his mind off of things.

Why would he be dreaming about one of Asch's memories, anyway? It didn't make any sense. Sure, he was in Asch's body, but he never saw any of Asch's memories while he was awake. Yet, in the dream, he'd been completely absorbed by Asch's feelings - he was willing to _kill_ to be with Natalia.

Luke shuddered, remembering how that felt. He didn't hate Natalia, not at all, but the thought of being in a relationship with her, getting married to her... _ugh_. And this wasn't the first time he'd dreamed about her, either. For a guy who had sworn up and down he was over her, Asch's dreams sure seemed to focus on the princess a lot. "Why can't I ever dream about Tear?" Luke wondered, looking up at the sky.

 _Wait, did I just say that out loud?_ Luke realized, his face turning bright red. Thank goodness no one was around to hear that!

But just as quickly as the thought crossed his mind, he regretted it. _I wish someone else_ was _here_ , he thought. That first day, when he woke up in Asch's body, it had seemed like a good idea to stay away from everyone. He was so afraid of what they would say when they realized what had happened to him...He'd convinced himself that it would be easier to face them if he first knew _why_ he was in Asch's body, and so he'd headed to Chesedonia on his own, where he could take a ferry to Belkend and speak to Spinoza. Chesedonia was pretty far away, but a two-week walk had seemed mild compared to the ten months he'd just spent traveling all over the world.

But surviving alone was completely different from being in a group. He'd already wasted at least three weeks in this forest, desperately struggling to find enough food, water, and shelter, and he wasn't even close to his destination.

"What an idiot I am!" he cried, banging his head back against the tree he'd been sleeping under. His friends wouldn't care what body he was in. Sure, they'd be shocked at first, but they'd get used to it. Even Natalia would accept him eventually, although it would probably take her a lot longer than the others to get over Asch's death. It wasn't like he looked any different than he did before - once he changed his clothes and cut his hair, no one would be able to tell the difference.

Luke glanced back in the direction of Eldrant, wondering if anyone was still there waiting for him. _Of course not_ , he thought, turning away and shaking his head. It had been ages since he'd sneaked past them in the ruins. Even Guy wouldn't wait _that_ long for him.

With a sigh, Luke stood up, grabbing the Key of Lorelei. He picked up the small bag he'd been using as a pillow, strapping it back on his waist underneath Asch's tabard. He was extremely lucky Asch had been carrying that bag when he died - he wasn't sure he'd have survived this long without it.

Inside, there were a number of emergency supplies, including a small canteen, a compass, a magic lens, a map of Auldrant, some gels and potions, and a few other things he'd never seen before. There were also two small bags, one of which had a modest amount of money in it - hopefully it would be enough to take the ferry from Chesedonia to Belkend. That was something else Luke hadn't even considered when he'd set off alone.

The other bag had originally contained some dried meat and nuts, but he'd eaten all of those by the second day. He'd intended to keep them as a last resort, but his willpower didn't last very long after his first attempt at searching for food. Despite everything Tear had taught him about finding food and water, it was a lot harder than he'd thought it would be.

Because of Asch's emergency pack, the first night or two in the forest hadn't been too bad. But after he spent an entire day without finding anything more to eat, he'd begun to regret his decision to leave. He'd thought about turning back, but his stubborn pride and fear of his friends' reaction had held him back. And now it was too late.

So here he was, all alone in the forest, just barely staying alive. Out here, all it would take was one mistake - a poorly chosen shelter, a wrong turn into a monster's den, or simply not being able to find enough water - and he'd end up dying anyway. And no one knew he was out here - his friends didn't even know he was still alive, so no help would be coming.

 _At least I still have the Key of Lorelei_ , he thought as he continued through the forest. The power emanating from the Jewel embedded in its hilt healed all of his battle wounds, so at least the monsters were easy to defeat. It also seemed to be keeping the worst symptoms of starvation at bay - it couldn't do anything about his tiredness or the never-ending hunger pangs, but he didn't feel any weaker than normal. And with the help of Asch's map and compass, he didn't have to worry about getting lost.

As Luke continued through the forest, weaving between the trees and keeping his eyes open for monsters, he suddenly noticed the quiet ripple of flowing water. He immediately changed direction, heading for the sound. When he reached the stream, he bent down and refilled his water bottle. That had been another lucky discovery - the canteen Asch had been carrying apparently had a special fonic arte applied to it, which purified any water that was put into it. Luke had no clue how it worked, but he was extremely thankful he had it. He took a swig of the cool, crystal clear water, and let out a sigh of relief.

Slipping the canteen back in his pouch and turning away from the stream, he continued walking south, towards Chesedonia. At least, he was pretty sure Chesedonia was in this direction. The sky had been overcast for days, so he couldn't see the sun clearly enough to be able to tell which way was east, but back when he was traveling the world with everyone, they'd taught him how to read a compass, so he was pretty sure he was using it correctly. According to Asch's map, if he'd estimated the distance correctly, he only had about two hundred miles left to go.

 _Where would I be without Asch?_ Luke wondered, as he ducked under a low-hanging branch. Even now, from beyond the grave, Asch was helping him. Although his original had tried to kill him several times when they first met, in the end, he'd saved his life more times than he could count.

 _I owe him so much - and I can never repay him._

A squawking noise from behind brought him back to full alertness. Luke immediately looked back and saw a large group of Howlers flying toward him at a rapid pace. Drawing his sword, he dodged the first bird's wild dive, and quickly spun around to slash at it as it tried to fly back up out of his reach. It let out a horrible shriek as the Key connected with its back, and dropped to the ground, dead.

His first foe defeated, he turned to face the other Howlers, who were circling around, looking for an opening. They came at him one by one, shrieking in pain as he took each bird down with a single swipe.

Once the last Howler was dead, Luke lowered his sword, and walked over to the nearest one, picking up the carcass. It would be a good source of meat, if he could figure out how to cook it - unfortunately, the one thing Asch _didn't_ have in his pouch was something to start a fire with.

But why would he? Luke countered. There was no need for him to have one. Asch had his fonic artes to help him out. All he had to do was focus, and Fifth Fonons would come to his aid, keeping him warm and providing him with plenty of food.

Not for the first time, Luke felt jealous. _Why can't_ I _learn how to do that?_ It shouldn't be that hard. They had the exact same body, the exact same fon slots, so he should be able to use the same artes!

But Luke had tried many times to learn how to use fonic artes, to no avail. He'd even asked Tear to teach him how once, during one of his hyperresonance lessons - but unlike Seventh Fonons, none of the other fonons seemed to respond to him. He could add their power to his attacks in battle, if there were enough extra fonons in the area, but he could never figure out how to summon them himself.

Knowing it probably wouldn't work, but too hungry not to give it another try, Luke gathered a few sticks into a pile and attempted to set them on fire. He reached deep inside himself, then extended his thoughts outward, searching for any fonons that felt warmer than the others. A few nearby fonons seemed to fit that description, but as soon as they sensed his mental touch, they scattered, dancing away from him like sparks in the wind.

Luke swept the pile of sticks away with a yell. "It's not fair!" he cried. He jumped up and stormed out of the clearing in a random direction, too angry to care whether he was going the right way.

He knew his anger was irrational. It was stupid to be angry at a dead person, and it wasn't like _Asch_ had any control over Luke's inability to use fonons. Asch had just been born ten years earlier, that was all. He'd probably spent a lot of time learning how to gather fonons and make them do what he wanted during his Oracle Knights training with Master Van. Luke had only just started learning what fonons _were_ a few months ago.

But why did Asch always have to be better at _everything_? Sure, he'd lost that fight against Luke on Eldrant, but Luke could tell something was wrong with him at the time. Asch had been far more out of breath than he should have been for such a brief fight, and Luke had seen a flicker of pain cross his face several times as they fought, even before he'd inflicted any real damage on him. Asch had obviously been more injured from the Albiore III's crash than he'd been letting on.

If Asch had been at full strength, Luke knew he would have had no chance of defeating him. Luke's sword skills had improved greatly during his travels, and he was pretty sure he was Asch's equal in that regard, but Asch's ability to use fonic artes, better control over his hyperresonance, and seven years of real battle experience as a God-General would certainly give him an edge.

 _A replica like me could never hope to surpass my original..._

Luke shook that thought away viciously. He'd promised Tear he wouldn't think like that anymore. He was his own person, dammit! Not just a replica, but a real human being! So what if he was weaker than Asch?

Luke focused his attention back on the forest around him. He checked the compass again, and realized he'd veered too far west. Turning back to the south again, he continued through the endless trees. After a few minutes, he saw what looked like a clearing up ahead, and knowing that there was a good chance of finding some kind of food there, he headed in that direction.

As he reached the edge of the treeline, Luke carefully checked the ground for anything edible. He saw some mushrooms growing by the base of a nearby tree, but ignored those - Tear had told him that many wild mushrooms were poisonous, and to only eat them if he was absolutely certain what kind of mushroom it was. They didn't look like anything he recognized, so he continued to scan the ground as he walked around the edge of the meadow.

The cloudy skies made his search somewhat difficult, but Luke kept looking. It was a fairly large clearing, nestled up against the rocky cliffs that were common in this region. Once, he thought he saw some flowers he recognized, but when he picked a few of them to check, he realized they were coated in a strange white sap and smelled funny, so he threw them aside.

Finally, after several minutes of searching, Luke spotted a hint of red in a bush growing near the cliff wall. He hurried over to the plant, excited. They looked like raspberries! Tear had said that those were one of the safest berries to eat, since no known poisonous berry grew in that particular shape.

Overjoyed with his lucky find, he began filling his food pouch with every berry he could find. He ate more than a few, but saved most of them, knowing he was unlikely to find another bush like this anytime soon.

He was so busy filling his pouch that he didn't realize the forest around him had gone completely silent. It wasn't until he heard the sharp crack of a twig breaking behind him that he noticed the approaching danger.

Whirling around, Luke froze in place when he saw a gigantic, spiked reptilian head on the other side of the clearing. It was staring right at him, its beady red eyes glowing with hunger. _A Storm Tortoise!_ Those enormous turtles looked ferocious, with their spiked shells and serrated jaws, but they were fairly slow. As long as he didn't let it get too close, he should be able to escape easily.

Luke quickly unsheathed his sword and began backing away from the beast, keeping his eyes on it the whole time. It growled and began lumbering towards him, but there was no way it would be able to catch him at that speed, not now that Luke knew it was there.

He was just about to turn and make a break for it, when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his right foot. He looked down, and saw a baby Deathseeker - the cursed snake monster had crept up and bit him while he'd been focusing all of his attention on the tortoise!

Luke killed the Deathseeker in two quick slashes, but it was too late - he'd been poisoned. He felt the telltale burning sensation crawling up his leg, and knew he was in trouble.

The Storm Tortoise was only a few yards away now - there was no way he'd be able to escape, not with poison dulling his reaction time and slowing him down. Luke could already feel his leg going numb, the fast-working venom causing it to twitch and shake. Instead of trying to run, Luke assumed a battle stance.

The giant tortoise lumbered forward, mouth hanging open in anticipation of a good meal. Luke lifted his sword in front of his body protectively, knowing how quickly the monster could strike. But even though he was expecting it, when the turtle's head suddenly shot towards him, Luke only just barely managed to block it in time.

Hissing in anger, the tortoise charged forward and tried to stomp him flat. Luke leapt to the side and tried to get out of the way, but his numb legs didn't move as fast as he'd hoped, and the turtle's clawed foot clipped his side. Blood seeped out around the newly torn hole, staining his tunic an even deeper black than before.

Luke ignored the wound, knowing the Jewel of Lorelei would heal it soon enough. He slashed his sword at the turtle's exposed neck, but his aim was off, and his blade bit deeply into the side of its spiked shell instead. The tortoise screeched in pain and backed up.

Cursing, Luke blocked the tortoise's next attack, and then struck at its weak point again. But the monster was expecting it this time, and it quickly pulled its head out of the way, as far into its shell as it would go. Its muscular neck was too thick to retract all the way, but it was still well protected by the spikes on either side of its head.

 _Damn it!_ While he wasted his time trying to kill this beast, the venom was still working its way through his system. The Jewel was keeping him alive, but it couldn't do anything about the other side effects. Luke could feel the poison spreading through his arms now, weakening them and making them twitch. Even his vision was affected, beginning to blur at the edges. He needed to finish this quickly, before he lost consciousness entirely.

But what could he do? The beast was too alert for him to attack from the front now. Hyperresonance was out of the question - according to Jade, Asch's hyperresonance was far too powerful to use in battle. If he tried to use his mystic arte, Radiant Howl, he might end up disintegrating himself along _with_ the turtle. He could try one of his strike artes, but most of them were too weak to do any damage to a creature of that size. And there were no fonon fields nearby for him to amplify his attacks with.

 _Maybe I should try to use a fonic arte again_ , Luke thought. What were Storm Tortoises weak against? He tried to remember, but his foggy mind was making it difficult to concentrate. _It's not lightning, I know that much…_

All of a sudden, the answer came to him. Water! Lightning monsters could send a powerful electric current running through their teeth and claws, which was part of what made them so dangerous. Some lightning monsters could even move faster because of it. But that very same current made them extremely weak in the rain - their electricity would spread out through the water uncontrollably, shocking the monsters' internal organs and rendering them helpless.

But Luke didn't know any strike artes that could pull in water fonons. His only hope was to try to use Icicle Rain, a mid-level fonic arte he'd seen Asch cast when they were making their way through Ortion Cavern. He'd been in Asch's body that time too, although he wasn't the one in control. Still, maybe his memory of that battle could help him figure out what he was doing wrong...

Luke blocked another strike from the tortoise's beak with his sword, and pushed its head back with all his might. The tortoise grunted and backed up to charge, as he'd hoped, and Luke dove out of the way as it crashed into the cliff behind him. While it tried to dislodge its spikes from the rock, Luke desperately reached out with his senses, searching for any nearby Third Fonons. He tried to remember what it felt like when Asch had done the same thing, desperately reaching out with all his senses. But with the enemy so close to him, it was nearly impossible to concentrate.

Checking to make sure the tortoise was still stuck, Luke took a deep breath and tried again. Closing his eyes, he opened his fon slots and "listened", trying to find fonons that seemed colder than the rest. For a moment, he didn't feel anything. Then, all of a sudden, something deep inside him shifted, and the air around him began to get colder. He felt thousands of water fonons swarming all around, just waiting for him to use them.

Luke opened his eyes in shock. He wasn't sure what he'd done differently this time, but he could feel a strange warmth inside him, just like when he'd used the second-order hyperresonance at Eldrant. Acting on instinct, he held out his arms, picturing the water fonons moving closer together. The fonons obeyed his command, gathering together until they were almost visible. Luke then thrust his palms outward, sending the mass of fonons toward the tortoise, which had just freed itself from the cliff wall and was turning itself around.

A freezing cold blast exploded in midair above the tortoise, compressing into a disc-shaped cloud and raining down icicles at breakneck speed. The turtle's tough shell protected it from most of the icy spikes, but several icicles hit its soft, fleshy neck and face. The icy spikes piled up on its shell quickly began melting from its body heat, and tiny streams of water poured off of it, electrocuting the beast with its own current.

Grunting in pain, the tortoise stumbled and fell. Luke quickly ran over to where it lay and prepared to deal a final blow, but just as he raised his sword, the beast let out a squeal and swung its head around wildly, catching Luke in the side and knocking him to the ground.

Luke tried to stand back up, but before he could, the turtle's clawed foot slammed down on top of him, pinning him in place. He looked up at the monster, and tried to lift his sword high enough to stab it in the eye, but the monster grabbed his sword in its beak and tossed it away, completely out of reach. Luke tried to wriggle out of its grasp, but the turtle's clawed foot pressed down even harder, holding him firmly in place.

As he looked up at the tortoise's jagged beak looming over him, its eyes glinting with hunger, Luke realized this was it. He tried to think of something he could do, _anything_ , but he came up blank. His vision was beginning to fog over, and his arms were nearly as paralyzed as his legs. Finally accepting defeat, he stopped struggling, and waited for it all to end.

 _What the hell do you think you're doing, Luke?_

Luke froze. _That voice…?_ It sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it. The turtle's foul breath rolled over him as the beast opened its maw wider, preparing to swallow him whole. Luke felt sick. He hoped it would be over quickly.

 _Don't just lay there, you stupid replica! Fight back!_

Luke's eyes widened.

"Asch?!"

~o~


End file.
